Christopher Newport University Holds 2nd Annual Food For Thought Campaign
To Benefit the Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula
Smithfield Foods to deliver 13,500 lbs. of ham and pork as official “kick-off” donation!
News Release - November 03, 2009
Media Contacts:
Lori Jacobs,
Director of Public Relations
lori.jacobs@cnu.edu
(757) 594-7961
(NEWPORT NEWS, VA) - On Wednesday, November 4, 2009, Christopher Newport University will partner with the Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula to sponsor the Food For Thought food drive to replenish the Foodbank's shelves. Food for Thought is a two-week food collection campaign that involves all of CNU's faculty, staff, student athletes and student organizations. The event is part of CNU's community partnership initiative, designed to unite campus and community members in collaborative projects for the mutual benefit of the broader Peninsula community. The initiative facilitates programs that help meet community-defined needs while assisting students to learn social and civic values as they apply their academic knowledge and skills to contemporary social issues.
"Our students should confront hunger, poverty, misfortune, human suffering and loss and through these experiences come to understand the harsh realities of this world. They must also know how their unique abilities can turn hardship into triumph to instill in them a life-long sense of responsibility for making the world a better place," noted CNU's president, Paul Trible.
Last year's campaign set a new record of total pounds of food collected in a single day for the Foodbank. Food donations totaled 59,195 lbs. and monetary contributions totaled $4,749.00. Combined, the totals translated to 78,195 lbs. of food or 96,180 individual meals.
Smithfield Foods will drop off approximately 13,500 pounds of ham and pork at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday as the official “kick-off” donation for Food For Thought 2009. This donation is possible due to Smithfield's nationwide "Helping Hungry Homes" effort.
Non-perishable food and monetary donations may be brought to CNU's Ferguson Center for the Arts colonnade for collection on Wednesday, November 4, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. All food collected will be loaded on Foodbank trucks and transported directly to their facility. The Foodbank will also accept any financial donations in cash or by check. (Checks should be made payable to the Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula.)
The mission of the Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula is to distribute food effectively through collaborative efforts that minimize hunger and promote nutrition and self-reliance through education. For additional information regarding the Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula, visit nnfoodbank.org.
Helping Hungry Homes (HHH) is a Smithfield Foods initiative launched in January 2008 to provide food to individuals and families who are considered food insecure. Since the HHH launch, Smithfield has provided over 1,800,000 servings of protein to Foodbanks across the country.
A four-year public university in Newport News, Virginia, Christopher Newport University enrolls 5,000 students in rigorous academic programs through the College of Arts and Humanities, the College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences, and the College of Social Sciences including the Luter School of Business. CNU offers great teaching and small classes as well as an emphasis on leadership, civic engagement and honor. For more information about CNU and its programs,
please visit www.cnu.edu.